As the weather here regularly drops to freezing (and below), and unless the rain is coming down hard, I walk daily, so warm accessories are a must. My fingers were itching to use New Zealand-made Supreme Possum Merino (40% possum/50% merino/10% silk – hereinafter SPM), courtesy of designer Wei Siew Leong. Wei Siew told me the possum would be warm, and she was not exaggerating. I wanted a pair of KiwiYarns Knits Fingerless Cabled Gloves. As is my wont, I adjusted the pattern to fit my gauge with the SPM and used three different needle sizes to shape the glove. The SPM halos beautifully; the gloves are soft and very warm.

SPM remaining … I wanted a fat winter headband that would keep my hair out of my face when I walk. I knit the Elisbeth Headband from Chic Knits‘ Elisbeth Collection by Bonne Marie Burns.

Still SPM remaining … My hair has gotten so long that when worn twisted up, my winter hats pulled over my head barely reach the top of my ears. So next I knit the Elisbeth Cap (again from the Elisbeth Collection). Alas, I didn’t have enough yarn to make it a slouch cap, and the finished cap – like all my others – barely covered the tops of my ears. I was pleased to find SPM at handknitting.com (of Jackson, Wyoming). I now have Elisbeth Cap as designed – a slouch cap – and it easily fits over my hair when piled on top of my head.

I decided I needed (yes, needed!) another set of these accessories in a different color and yarn. I had two skeins of Cascade Yarn’s Cascade 220 Heathers (100g=220y/200m, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool). After gauging, I started knitting the second set. (As you can see from the picture of these fingerless gloves, I incorporated a cable to match the cables on the Elisbeth Cap and Headband.)

Comparison:

The oh-so-warm SPM halos beautifully … but to the point of blurring cables. The cables on the Elisbeth Collection patterns were larger and spaced enough that the blurring didn’t have the same effect it did on the simple cable on the Fingerless Cabled Gloves.

The SPM accessories are much warmer than the Cascade 220 accessories. In fact, I test-walked them in a near freezing temperature; the difference in the warmth factor between the SPM and the Cascade 220 was marked. As explained by Mohair Craft of New Zealand: The hollow possum fur and fine Merino make for an extremely lightweight product. On a weight to insulation ratio Possum/Merino performs better than nearly all other natural fibre products.

Now I am fully accessorized for my winter walks! For walks when the temperature hovers close to or below freezing, I reach for the SPM accessories. When the winter temps are above freezing, I reach for the Cascade 220 accessories. 🙂

My granddaughter loves all things pink … she accompanied me to pick out eyeglass frames … every frame she liked on me was, of course, pink! After the 10th pair of pink frames, I couldn’t take it any more … I have to go back without her. 🙂

Lovely and thanks for the comparing the yarns. I have also just finished a pair of lacy fingerless gloves in pink Acrylic yarn for my daughter – she lives in Spain so doesn’t need a warm yarn (although they are surprisingly warm) and she loves pink! I am now doing a matching cowl to go with them..

This winter, I made mittens and a hat from Cascade 220 and I wear them when it is above freezing. On the cold days, i wear my merino wool accessories. I have never knit with possum yarn. I wonder if it is gentle for sensitive skin.

Great post, really useful to hear comparisons of yarn. I use the Cascade 220 a lot, particularly for children’s items and also for the ‘balaclava’s’ my son wears under his motorbike helmet, because it is 100% wool (non-flammable) but washable. Definitely going to try to find some Possum though, we thankfully don’t have too extreme weather here on the Isle of Wight but your set does look gorgeous. 🙂